Rats are long-tailed rodents 5-12 inches long. They are aggressive,
omnivorous, and adaptable, and they often carry diseases. Statistics in italics above
refer to the giant rat. Stats without an italicized entry apply to both varieties.
The black rat is about 8 inches long, with a tail at least that long, a lean
body, pointed nose, and long ears. The "black" rat is dark gray with brownish
patches, and a gray or white belly. It is a good climber (climb 3) and jumper,
but cannot swim.
The brown rat, also known as the sewer rat or the wharf rat, is 5-10 inches
long, and its tail is shorter than the black rat's. Its eyes and ears are also
smaller, but it has a larger, fatter body. Brown rats may be gray, white, black,
or piebald in color. They cannot climb, but are excellent swimmers (swim 3) and
burrowers. If rats infest a building, black rats inhabit the upper floors, and
brown rats occupy the lower floor and the cellars.

Combat:Rats normally flee anything bigger than themselves, but a trapped rat will do
anything to survive and a pack of starving rats will attack anything in order
to feed. Rats attack with their sharp front teeth and often carry diseases, so
that a rat bite has a 5% chance of infecting its victim with a serious disease
unless the victim makes a successful saving throw vs. poison. Normal rats fear
fire, but brave it when very hungry.
A swarm of rats can be treated as a single monster having an assigned number
of Hit Dice and automatically causing damage each round to small creatures in
the swarm's area. A typical pack might cover a 10-x10-foot area, have 4 HD, and
inflict 4 points of damage per round. Weapons have little effect on a pack, but
area effect spells and some other attacks (such as flaming oil) are effective.
When the pack has lost its hit points, it is considered dispersed and unable to
inflict mass damage.

Habitat/Society:The chief purpose of rats is to find food. Packs often burrow into and eat
food stores. Rats nest almost anywhere, chewing cloth, paper, or wood to make a
nest.

Ecology:Rats are very prolific, breeding three to five times a year. Brown rats
produce 2d4+6 young per litter, while a black rat litter contains only 5-6 young.
Both types of rats are omnivorous. Brown rats are considered to be more aggressive
than black rats. Their teeth are extremely powerful; they have been known to
gnaw holes in lead pipes. Rats have a lifespan of two to four years.

Brush Rats
Brush rats (also known as trade rats and pack rats) belong to a much less
aggressive family of rats known as wood rats. They are slate gray above and white
on their underbellies. They are nearly the size of brown rats. Brush rats build
nests or burrows in forested areas. They are attracted to small, shiny objects
and sometimes steal them and carry them to their hoard. Pack rats are
herbivores and will not attack humans. They do not carry diseases. Brush rats can be
trained.

Giant Rats
These vile beasts plague underground areas such as crypts and dungeons. Their
burrows honeycomb many graveyards, where they cheat ghouls of their prizes by
tunneling to newly interred corpses. Giant rats are brown/black in color with
white underbellies, and are related to the brown rat, with fatter bodies and
shorter tails. As with normal rats, any creature bitten by a giant rat has a 5%
chance per wound of catching a debilitating disease; a successful saving throw vs.
poison prevents catching the disease. Giant rats avoid attacking strong
parties unless driven by hunger or commanded by creatures such as vampires and
wererats. Giant rats are fearful of fire and flee from it except if driven by hunger
or magic. They are excellent swimmers and can attack in water as well as on
land.

Osquip
The osquip is a multi-legged rodent the size of a small dog. It is hairless,
with a huge head and large teeth. Most have six legs, but some (25%) have eight,
and a few (5%) have 10. The creatures' leathery hides are pale yellow in color.
Osquips build small, carefully hidden tunnels, and their teeth are sharp
enough to dig through stone. If someone enters an area in which there are osquip
tunnels, the creatures can emerge quickly, and opponents receive a -5 to surprise
rolls. The osquip are territorial and attack fearlessly and ferociously.
Osquips are not afraid of fire, but are poor swimmers (50% drown, 50% paddle with a
movement rate of 1).
Osquips are difficult to domesticate, but jermlaine and a few wizards have
succeeded by giving the creatures gems, for they collect shiny objects. Osquip
leather is soft and water-resistant, and their teeth can be used in digging magic.